Lab Journal Entry #2

[matril]

I should note that had this progressed beyond the first draft, I would have had my sister as the scientific consultant. She has degrees in biochemistry and biophysics and a far more accurate idea of the day-to-day workings of someone with a career in science. So, some of what I have here is just kind of a placeholder.



"Specialties"

Int., Tori’s lab, with her perched at the table, lips pursed

TORI
Since I posted my first entry, I’ve received a bit of...constructive criticism. Suggesting that if I want to gain viewers, I need to be more specific and personal. Fair enough. I wanted to give a general overview of my scientific ethos to start with, but I can be specific now. I have a research position at a prominent institute in New England. Not that I’m considered a top researcher – not yet. Given enough time, I hope to be.

Cut to: Camera panning over lab equipment

TORI (VO)
I have several related specialties. As an undergrad I studied biochemistry and biophysics. From there I branched out into bioengineering, and dabbled a little in cellular mechanics. I’m not a surgeon, but I’m interested in the advancements of organ transplants and infusing the artificial with the organic.

Cut to: TORI, growing animated as she sets down the camera and warms to her topic.

TORI
Lately I’ve been fascinated with the ‘ghost heart research.’ They’ve discovered a technique of de-celullarizing an existing animal heart and using stem cells to regenerate it into a functioning organ – a bioartificial heart.

This could be an enormous breakthrough. Can you imagine? For decades, organ recipients have been forced to suppress their immune systems in the hopes that their body won’t reject the new organ. It would be tremendously beneficial to remove that obstacle from the process. And it’s not just limited to hearts. We could create any organ we wanted. It would open entire new avenues of possibilities.

(Stops, sighs and laughs at herself) Of course this isn’t my research. I have neither the prestige nor the funding for anything like that. Lately I’ve been focused on regeneration and decay at the cellular level. Which is of course related to overall organ function. It’s all interconnected. (Smiles) You’ve probably noticed that most of my specialties have a “bio” at the beginning of the word. Every branch of science holds an interest for me, but I’ve always been drawn to biology in particular. There’s something about the mechanisms of life that just fascinates me.

Honestly, I wonder why everyone doesn’t feel this way. Look at this! (Holds hand in front of camera, wiggling her fingers.) Every cell forming tissues, tissues forming organs, each performing a particular specialized task in coordination with every other, in perfect tandem, all coming together as a complex living being with near-infinite capacity. How could you not want to find out how it works, to uncover every mystery of biological function? (Pulls hand back, grows thoughtful and a little morose)

Comments

[sonetka.livejournal.com]

Any chance your sister could read it here? Nothing wrong with fine-tuning it a little while you're processing the next vlog idea :). I'm enjoying it so far -- both times I thought "Wait, that's it? I want more!" and then remembered that these are vlogs and, especially at first, aren't going to last very long.

Hmmm ... maybe a vlog of Middlemarch? Imagine poor old Casaubon trying to sound important and boring the camera to death with the Key To All Mythologies. Lydgate and Rosamond could start separating their vlogs and giving wildly different versions of their quarrel. (Though there would have to be something keeping them married beyond the fact that it was virtually impossible for them to divorce).

[matril.livejournal.com]

She has a copy of it and plans on looking it over eventually. She's a great sounding board whenever I'm writing science fiction.

I haven't read Middlemarch, but just from your character descriptions, I think I'd like to pick it up. ;)

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

I suppose I hadn't been expecting the next entry so soon, but it's still nice to see. In saying "I took science in university" I have to face how I didn't go on to get advanced degrees (and what I took wasn't biology anyway), but the content in this entry seemed about right to me. I suppose it got my attention that Tori talks about responses to her "first entry"; I'm wondering now whether certain future recordings will be "posted"...

[matril.livejournal.com]

Well, in this case Tori's referring to another character in-universe. It's interesting to speculate, though, about how real-world audience response might affect the story's trajectory. The time lag is an important factor - the vlogs purport to be in near real-time (i.e., it was filmed on Tuesday and posted on Wednesday), but in fact they would probably be filmed weeks or even months before airing, depending on actor and crew availability and editing requirements.